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Please bear with me here. Don’t get out the rotten fruit and veggies just yet to throw at me as I stand up here on my pedestal.

Yes, I am going to talk briefly about JDRF and the walk to cure diabetes I’m going to do in St. Louis on Oct. 7. And yes, I do realize this constant diabetes talk and giving are probably annoying to some. I can hear some of your thoughts now “Shut your face, weirdo.” “Stop putting it on Facebook.” I can’t help it. I’m a strange person who wants to advocate for Type 1 diabetes, a little selfish, seeing as how I have it, but that’s life. I promise if any of my friends or family had some sort of issue I would be doing the same for them and whatever problems they have. If one of them was…to say… get abducted by aliens, well, you can bet your bottom dollar I would form some sort of alien protest until they were back on earth.

Back to the walk, I am a healthy, non dying individual as are a lot of people with type 1. It is through research on type 1 that I am healthy and not burnt to ash and spread over some sort of scenic area. It wasn’t that long ago that people didn’t know that insulin was the key to saving our lives. Back in the day (1920) the lifespan of someone with my disease was a matter of months, and that was through a severe diet and almost non-stop exercising.

Before and after insulin in the 1920’s

Thankfully, a wonderful fellow discovered how to reproduce insulin and prolong diabetic souls. In those 90 some years since that discovery there have been many more life expanding creations to make a Type 1’s life easier and more normal.

As I said I’m doing the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes soon and if any of you want to join my team or donate it would be greatly appreciated. I think sometimes when you see how normal we T1’s lead our lives it is hard to see how important research has been to us. It is your choice, but I wanted everyone to know how much supporting diabetes research means to me.

Ah…myths of the type 1 diabetes. Something we diabetics deal with on occasion when well-doers try to scold us whenever they see us with a grain of sugar in our little diabetic hands.

“Are you supposed to be eating that?” – Said with a “you’re going to die” type of look.

Today I would like to bust some Type 1 Diabetic myths in the face. Emily style.

Myth #1: Can’t eat sugar.

Fact: We can eat anything non-diabetic (normals) can. Granted it wouldn’t be wise to eat 10 candy-bars in one sitting, but then again normals shouldn’t do that either. The beauty of an insulin pump is that I can eat what I want when I want and give myself insulin to counteract it. It’s not a matter of “can I eat that?” but “Is it worth it?” Certain foods affect a diabetics blood sugar differently, and those certain foods vary on the person. I know there are foods that will raise me higher than other foods, and I need to decide if I want to use up more insulin to handle it or make a different choice.

Myth #2: Obesity and/or too much sugar cause type 1 diabetes

Fact: This has nothing to do with type 1 diabetes, but can be a trigger for type 2. This doesn’t always trigger type 2, family history plays a big role. If type 2 runs in your family, you should pay attention, talk to your doctor, and take steps to help prevent getting the disease later in life. Watch yourselves. As for type 1, well, who knows if you will get it. It’s like a tiny evil leprechaun that will break into your home in the middle of the night and stab your pancreas until it dies.

Myth #3: Insulin is the cure.

Fact: Insulin lets me live another day so I can kick around and do weird things, but it is not a cure. There is no cure. Yet. Please feel free to go to your local Walgreen’s this month and donate to JDRF so they can continue research to find a cure. 🙂

Myth #4: Only kids get Type 1

Fact: While usually the pancreas destruction happens as a young cone, it can actually happen at any age….but usually as a child or young adult. You think because you’re an adult you can ward off the evil pancreas killing leprechaun? You’re wrong. You must be vigilant always. (I hope no one reading this really believes there is an evil pancreas murdering leprechaun. If you do, I suggest you seek a mental health professional. ASAP.)

Peace out, my peeps. I do believe I am done writing for the evening. If there is a suspected myth you would like me to bust in the face, please let me know and I’ll see what I can do.

Throughout the month of July, visit your local Walgreens to support JDRF. Purchase a scannable at the register to donate $1 to help fund type 1 diabetes research. Walgreens has been a partner of JDRF for 20 years, raising a total of $20 million! Help to make this year another successful one by supporting the efforts of this valued JDRF Corporate Partner.

You know how you see all these photos on Facebook or email forward that go something like this…

“If you love Jesus, you will share this”

“If you want to win a billion dollars, ‘Like’ this”

“All your dreams will come true if you forward this to 50 people”

And yada yada yada?

Well, if you are my friend you will go to Walgreen’s and donate a dollar when you check out at the register.

If you decide to not do this, well then, I don’t even want to tell you what is going to happen to you! Bad things!

Ok ok…I’m totally kidding on all of this. I mean, I won’t really disown anyone as my friend if they don’t donate a little old dollar at Walgreen’s in the month of July to benefit JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation)…and by association me… your friend, your type 1 diabetic friend. Do you feel guilty, yet? Should I continue?

Really, I’m kidding. As I’ve said before everyone has their own charities and organizations they give their money to. Obviously, I’m a big supporter of Walgreen’s doing this and I wanted to share with you fine people. For 40 years JDRF has been a leader in funding research projects for Type 1 diabetes. The progress that has been made since I was diagnosed in 1989 is astounding, and JDRF is a major player in making those changes happen.

1989:

I was testing my blood sugar 8 – 10 times a day

Took a shot twice a day

Had to eat by a strict schedule. To vary was to mess my blood sugars up and cause frequent highs and lows.

Getting 1/2 a candy bar once a year at Easter was a treat.

2012:

I have a continuous glucose monitor to monitor my levels every 5 min. Only have to physically prick my fingers 2 times a day now.

Insulin Pump. Change site every 3 days.

Can eat whenever and whatever…due to the insulin pump (not every Type 1 has one, but the majority probably does)

There are a million other things that are better, but I don’t have the time to list everything.

I’ll get off my soap box now. Just letting you all know you can donate a dollar to JDRF through Walgreen’s this month.

I have faced the facts that if there was to be a Zombie Apocalypse I would be the first one sacrificed to the said creatures in order for the others to get to safety. Or if I was stranded on top of a mountain with a group of people and there was no food available I would be the one that gets murdered and eaten in order for the others to survive until rescue. Am I morbid? Maybe. Will either of these scenarios ever happen? Nope. Am I the most awesome person ever? Heck yes.

Other than my fear of ghost babies and clowns, I have a more realistic fear, and that is being somewhere and not having my insulin pump supplies with me. I need them to survive…well…I need my insulin and a syringe to inject it at the very least. My natural tendencies to over think a situation to death and my imagination led me to the sacrificial/murderous thoughts. I know I would be the most likely to die first in an extreme situation without insulin, so it stands to reason that I should at least save my fellow comrades as I knock on Death’s door.

Before my insulin pump I took a shot 2-3 times a day. Breakfast. Dinner. Bedtime. Because I was getting a dose at specific times of the day I had to eat at specific times too. This helped to regulate my blood sugars. In a normal human (I call non-diabetics “normal,” you buttfaces) your pancreas secretes insulin throughout the day and when you eat something it secretes a larger amount and keeps your blood sugars nice and normal. My pancreas is a broken down El Camino that produces not a single drop. I envision it to be a shriveled up dead thing floating around my insides. Anyway, when I was taking shots I was getting a whole days worth of insulin at only 2-3 time frames instead of at constant rate like the “normals.” It made managing the disease that much harder. Sometimes I wouldn’t give a shot because I felt like I was rebelling against the disease. Ha! Take that! It was stupid. One of the worst things I could have possibly done.

When I was in college my diabetes doctor told me about this magical creation called the insulin pump. It was amazing. It was this 1990’s pager looking thing that had a tube that connects to it and my body. How it works is that it gives me a “background” rate throughout the day and when I eat I give myself and extra dose or “bolus” depending on what I eat. Basically, it mimics a real pancreas only I’m controlling it. Like a puppet master. Sometimes I just laugh and laugh in an evil manner about it. I’m kidding. I’m not that weird…or am I? Anyway, there is more to it than that and I have to calculate and watch everything I do and adjust rates accordingly, but it sure beats sticking myself with needles daily. With the pump I only need to switch out the tubing and where it is on my body every 3-4 days. I love it. Love love love love love love. What I’m trying to say is that I love it.

(This isn’t me, but it gives you an idea of the hook-up.)

The progress being made to make my life easier with such contraptions is amazing and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is at the top of the list and making things like this happen. They are amazing and dedicated to finding a cure. I love them. I love them like I love movies and books and animals and shoestrings and my pump. They are the main reason I am writing this particular post. Anyone who knows me knows that the JDRF and animal rescue shelters are my main charities of choice. Everyone has their own thing. Those are mine. If you are someone who is unsure of what charities you enjoy perhaps you would like to donate to JDRF. My cousin, Amy, is also a Type 1 diabetic and she is joining up with JDRF to do a walk and is taking donations for the cause. Her walk is on May 5, so donate soon! A donation for Amy is a donation for your dearest dearest dearest non-normal human friend, Emily. Here is a link to it.